Snow-melting machine.



S. PRIBDMAN. SNOW MELTING MACHINE. APPLIoATIoN FILED A1 1z.4,191o4 S.FRIEDMAN. f

SNOW MELTING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED AP11.4,1910.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

SAMUEL FRIEDMAN, or NEWYORK, N. Y.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 4, 1910. Serial No. 553,300.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

. proved means for feeding snow,`ice and the like to a melting tank,improved means for heating such tank, an improved structure of a meltintank, and various other features as hcreina ter described andparticularly lpointedout in the claims. f The objects of my inventionare to 11nprove and simplify snow melting machines,

to make the same `more efficient, and to reduce the cost of snowdisposal in cities and the like.

I will now roceed to describe my invention with refrence to theaccompanying drawing, and will then point out the novel features inclaims.

In the drawing: Figure 1 shows more or less diagrammatically alongitudinal vertical/xsection of a machine embodying' my invention; andFig. 2 shows a transverse Y section of such machine on the line affofFig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a front elevation of the machine, and Fig. 4 a sideelevation thereof. i,

In the drawing 1 designates a meltin tank and 2 a chute having withinit' `a brus conveyer 3 for sweeping snow, ice or the like from thestreetinto the chute and thence conveying same up the chute to thetank 1. This tank has an inclined surface 4 preferably of a metal ofhigh heat conductivity, upon which surface the snow so delivered by theconveyer falls. This inclined surface is arranged to be heated bysuitable means, one of which means, illustrated in the drawings,comprises a series of open flame burners 5 fed from a suitable fuel tank6u; such tank bein adapted to contain either gaseous or liquid fuelunder pressure. ABut any other suitable or con-n venient .means forheating said inclined plate 4 may be employed. It ismy intention thatthis inclined surface 4 shall be of such length, and shall be so heated,that by the time the snow has fallen down such surface to anyconsiderable extent,it will have been melted at least to the conditionofav slush which will run with substantially the freedom of Water. Thewater or slush collecting in the tank may be drawn off, eithercontinuously, or from time to time,.through a valved discharge 7. Theother walls of tank l are preferably metal or wooden walls, and if ofmetal, as illustrated, are preferably covered with asbestos or othernon-conducting material, so that as much heat as possible may beretained within the tank 1.

` The brush conveyer 3 used for delivering f the snow to tank 1,preferably comprisesa;

plurality of rows of brush tufts 8 secured to i an endlesslink chain orbelt 9. The brush '2'0 tufts at whatever angle proves to be best adaptedfor the urpose. It is desirable to provide means or cleaning such abrush conveyer so thatit may be freed of snow and ice clinging to thebrush tufts; hence I provide a comb 10 for that. purpose, the teeth 80of the comb adapted to pass between the brush tufts as the latter sweepthrough the chute.

At its lower front end, the chute 2 is provided with a plow 11. adaptedto take up snow, ice, etc., from a pavement, andvalso to break up cakedsnow.

It is intended that .this machine shall be driven somewhat slowly alonga street from which the snow is to be removed, taking up 9D the snowfrom the street pavement as it moves. Obviously the machine may be movedin any suitable manner, but I have indicatedan automobile drivecomprising av driving motor 17 connected through a suit- 95 ableautomobile power transmission device,

indicated diagrammatically at 18, to the driving-wheels 19 on axle 20,and I have `indicated a drive beltl 21 for driving the conveyer 3 fromthese driving wheels. I 100 have also indicated more or lessd-:iagrammatically, suitable steering gear 22 for the machine. I

As streets to be cleaned often have considerable layers of ice or highlycompacted snow, which a mere plow or scraper is hardly ableto take up,Iprovide means for breaking up such ice or compacted snow layers,comprising aplurality of vertical movable picks 23 reciprocated inanysuit- 110 ablefmanner. One mechanism for recipro-` cating said picks isillustrated in the drawings, and comprises a crank shaft 24 driven fromthe lower drum of conveyer 9 by a belt 25, the cranks of whichcrankshaft operate connecting rods 27 pivotally connected to the picks23. 28 designates a guidefor the picks. It is also frequently desirableto positively brush the snow or ice upon the plow 11 instead of relyingsolely upon the forward mot-ion of the wa on for bringing the 'snow orice upon sai low, and for this purpose I provide a fiirther rotary brush29 drivenby belts or chains 30 and 31.

As it will frequently be desirable to be able to raise both the plow 11,the brush 29, and the ice breaking mechanism, I provide for this purposechain cables l2 passingy over suitable pulleys 13' and leading to a Iwinding drum 14 adapted lto be rotated by aa hand wheel 15. As shownarticularly in Fig. 1, the plow 11, upon w ich plow the brush 29 ismounted, is pivoted and so capable of being raised in this manner, and

the shaft 24 by which the picks are operated is carried by` arms 16 alsopivoted to the frame of the machine and so capable of beingkraised and,when raised, of raising the pic s.

1. A snow melting machine comprising in combination an inclined meltingsurface, means for heating the same, and means for delivering snow tosuch inclined melting surface comprising a brush conveyer, and cleaningmeans for said conveyer comprising comb-teeth between which the tufts ofthe brush-conveyerpass.

2C \A snow melting machine comprising in combination Ymelt-ing meansandmeans for delivering snow'and the like thereto, comprising a conveyer,and ice breaking means operating in advance of the conveyer, andarranged to break up layers' of ice andthe like forreception by theconveyer.

. 3. A snow melting machine comprising in combination meltin means,means for delivering snow and t e like thereto, comprising a conveyer, aplow supported in proximity to the road surface, and a ybrush forsweeping street coverings upon such plow.

y 4. A snow melting machine comprising in combination melting means,means for delivering snow and the like thereto, comprising a conveyer, aplow supported in proximity to the road surface, a brush for sweepingstreet coverings -upon such plow, ice breaking means operating inadvance .of such plow, and means for operating the same.

5. A snow melting machine comprising vin combination melting means andmeans forA l delivering snow and the like thereto, comprising a conveer, and ice breaking means operatlng in a Vance of the conveyer, and iarran d to break u layers of ice and the like o r reception liy theconveyer, and means for ad]usting vertically the position of such icebreaking means.

6'. A snow melting machine comprising in combination melting means,means for `delivering snow and the like thereto, comprising a conveyer,a plow lsupported in proximity to the road surface, a `brush forsweeping street coverings upon such plow, and means for adjusting"vertically the said brush. 7 5

7. A snow melting machine comprising in combination melting means, meansfor delivering snow and the like thereto, comprising a conveyer, a plowsupported in proximityto the road surface, a brushfor sweeping coveringsupon such plow, ice breaking means operating in advance of such plow,means for operating the same, and means. for adjusting' vertically thesaid plow.

-8. A snow melting machine comprising in combination melting meansandmeans for delivering snow and the like thereto, comprising a conveyer,ice breaking means comprising a fplurality of picks operating 1n advanceo the conveyer and arran ed' to break up. la ers of ice and the like orreception by t 1e conveyer, and -means for operating said picks. f

9. A snow melting machine comprising in combination a melting tankhaving an inclined meltin surface of -high heat conductivity, an -an)Yinclined chute the lower sideof which is connected to vsaid inclinedmelting surface, and means for brushing the.,snow up the lower side ofsaid chute to l said inclined melting surface, as and for' the purposesset forth. f 10. A snow melting machine comprising LEO J. MAT'rv.A

in combination a melting Atank having an`105.

brushing the lio4

